Difference between revisions of "N'ky"

Revision as of 15:56, 11 June 2013

Template:HrwProfile

Description

Thick curls crown his head like an umber halo, glossy in their dark cocoa shade. They're cut to a length where he often has to brush them from his large, honey-flecked brown eyes. Overall, he's been somewhat lucky in the features department, with a bump in the bridge of his otherwise slender nose to suggest a break at some point, and cupid's bow lips that hide front teeth that are perhaps a tad too big, with a slight gap between the foremost two. He's a rangy sort of lad, clearly no stranger to work yet not massive on muscle, either; standing at 6'3, he has a look about him that suggests he still hasn't quite got used to the length of his limbs or the size of his feet. He wears simple, practical clothing: a well-worn shirt of once-black cotton, faded to charcoal grey, coupled with khaki trousers and brown boots that, hidden beneath his pants, come to just above his ankles. N'ky wears a braided cord bracelet around his right wrist, and a thin leather thong around his neck is threaded through a piece of polished amber.

WYSK

• Born in Far Reach Holding, where the livelihood revolves mostly around Beastcrafting and trade of woolly animal-related goods - including the animals themselves
• He's never actually used it since he grew up being called Nicky, but his real pre-Impression name is Nycaen (nih-cay-en).
• Was training to be a farrier like his uncle Ansly, who's a trained Smith and posted to High Reaches Weyr - that's how Nicky ended up there, shortly after Hraedhyth and Iesaryth rose
• Has official Smith metalwork training and official Beastcraft training in hoof care, specifically for runners, but was never apprenticed to either Craft
• Has a stutter, but he's working on it. It eases off when he's more relaxed, gets worse when emotions are high
• Has a traditional outlook in terms of Weyr politics; he doesn't understand them, but he believes Weyrleaders should be men
• Wants Azaylia and K'del to lead High Reaches, and doesn't mind making his preferences known to the 'right people'
• Was asked by K'del to stand for the double clutches of gold Hraedhyth and brown Szadath, and gold Iesaryth and brown Arekoth
• Straight to the Heart Green Cailluneth found him on the Sands, and made him her N'ky

History

Nicky grew up as the middle child in a large brood, one of many children on the family-owned Far Reach Holding ("where the men are men and the woollies are nervous"). His upbringing was full of cousins, sheep, runners and chores, until he was old enough to settle on an occupation. He chose to follow in his favourite uncle's footsteps to become a farrier, and went off to the Smith Hall for a couple of turns of metalwork training, before returning home to study hoof care, specifically for runners, under the Beastcrafter posted there. In his 17th turn he moved to High Reaches Weyr to continue his training under his uncle, who had been posted there; within a few months of arriving, he was asked to stand as a Candidate for Hraedhyth and Iesaryth's clutches. His Candidacy was filled with all sorts of self-revelations - but nothing made an impact on him quite like Impressing his Cailluneth.

Weyrlinghood

Weyrling Month 1

The most noticeable thing about N'ky is his sudden discomfort around long-term best friend K'zin. Despite the strength of their friendship before the hatching, he's been avoiding the new bronze rider and things have definitely been... well, strained. As of just past the halfway through the month mark, though (day 16, to be precise), things seem to have got better.

With everyone else he's been no different than usual; a little more tired than before, perhaps, and more relaxed in most cases, though he has had a couple of angry outbursts, that are very unlike the rarely-roused pre-Impression Nicky.

N'ky is rarely seen without Cailluneth, and when they're together they're nearly always touching, if he isn't actually carrying her. They clearly have a very strong connection. For those that have experienced it (Ilicaeth, for example, when he broke N'ky's cot), she would seem to be the source of his new-found temper. She's not all hot-headed, though; quite the opposite, in fact, as she tends to use her colourful suggestions of thought and emotion to soothe and calm.

Weyrling Month 2

It's no secret that N'ky was freaking out over the exams. Reading and writing aren't a problem, but maths? History? Eurgh. Lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) for him he's nearly back to his old sleeping habits, which meant extra hours in the nights before the placement tests to spend poring over stupid hides. Just ask him. They're all stupid - especially those ones with numbers. He's gladly taken help where he can get it.

The studying didn't pay off as well as he'd hoped it would in the end; he just scraped by in history, but arithmetic was a disaster and he's wound up with extra work in both subjects. He's kind of embarrassed by it, but he's trying hard to get better.

On a slightly sadder note, Cailluneth is no longer small enough for him to carry. N'ky's a little down about it but of course he's proud that she's growing up to be so big... in all senses of the word - Cailluneth is by no means svelte! Perhaps all that carrying about has added to her hatchling tubbiness, because she's certainly round.

Following Kazavoth's incident with the wherry, it's no secret that N'ky was caught by weyrwoman Azaylia, after having snuck Cailluneth into the weyr's lower caverns to let her hunt tunnelsnakes. Cai's been crowing proudly about her kills, though N'ky is sheepish about getting caught and is adhering to the rules even more strictly.

He's been paired with C'ter as his mentor, a holdbred greenrider in his late 30s. It seems to be a happy enough pairing, and N'ky acts comfortably enough around the man.

Oh, and he's also having lessons with Madilla - they're working on getting rid of his stutter. Whether the classes have been working or he's more at ease around his fellow weyrlings, the end of the month does see somewhat of an improvement in his speech - though only when he's relaxed. Get him flustered and he'll stutter and stammer like the pro he is.

Weyrling Month 3

Month three has, so far, been the least eventful for N'ky and Cailluneth. She's growing, he's stuttering less - apart from when emotions are high, of course. Nerves, excitement, panic and so on all bring it back full-force. In general conversation with most weyrlings though, he's comfortable enough to be more himself. With all of his catch-up work, Harper classes and other things on top of his weyrling duties, he's been busy enough to actually start sleeping through most nights due to pure exhaustion. Things have fluctuated with K'zin as they have since Impression, and N'ky's even had a couple of frazzled moments when he's just felt absolutely overwhelmed by everything happening, and by his want to make everyone happy. Slowly-slowly, he's learning to be just a little bit selfish by putting himself first - well, after Cailluneth, of course.

Cailluneth proved herself to be a fierce, successful hunter, having made her first kill under the supervision of Hraedhyth. She's got a habit of pinning a herdbeast down and latching onto its neck to bleed it out, and she's been wearing a good few bruises from flailing hooves as a trophy of her kills. When she's hunting, any dragon who's tried to reach her will find her mind very different to normal: it's wild, somewhat animalistic, driven by bloodlust and the thrill of hunting. Now that she's taller than the herdbeasts it's not quite as much of a game to bring them down as it was before, but she still likes to whip her food into a frenzy before leaping for the kill.

There have been more times when the pair haven't been seen glued to each other's sides, though they're still very, very close. N'ky still tends to stick only to the places where Cailluneth can be with him, which means he's only indoors when she's asleep, or when he absolutely has to be - and in the latter case, he's often distracted as he keeps in mental touch with her. They're still very touchy-touchy, and when together they're nearly always in contact.

Weyrling Month 4

There's been nothing at all of note happening with N'ky this month. Cailluneth's finally taller than him at the shoulder and he's disappointed that he was overlooked for the silver threads, but that's about it.

By the end of the month his grades have started to slip significantly, and he's not putting as much effort - hardly any effort, really - into his remedial classes any more.

Weyrling Month 5

N'ky's grades haven't improved this month; they may have even declined. Those still in remedial classes may talk about how he's failing pretty miserably, but no-one's likely to hear it from N'ky himself. If asked, he just brushes it off and changes the subject... if he's even around to be asked, that is. Outside of standard weyrling classes (which he's putting full effort into, even if he's not socialising much while doing so), he's rarely in the barracks. He's been spending mealtimes alone for the most part, though anyone who's spent time with him will notice that he barely eats anything, and only offers the bare minimum of interaction if he's approached. He's been spending most of his time somewhere in the Weyr with Cailluneth, normally at the far end of the lake, by the waterfall. She's very protective if anyone approaches, and if he's spoken to, N'ky quickly makes his excuses to leave.

Prior to Sabella's incident, N'ky was hesitant about flying; after it, there was no sign of straps on Cailluneth and the pair made no attempts at a first flight.

A failed attempt at reverse psychology from K'zin made N'ky sink even lower into his funk; an attempt on the bronzerider's behalf to apologise later led to Cailluneth broadcasting angrily across the Weyr that her weyrling was under threat, and an uncomfortable situation at the far end of the lake didn't make things any better. Despite N'ky giving K'zin a turnday present, he's still not talking to him.

D'kan's attempt to pull him out of it did more good than he actually let on; N'ky perked up a little from his 'brother's' tough love approach, but it was Alida who did the most to drag him out of it.

It wasn't until the very end of the month, day 27, that N'ky was finally called into the Weyrlingmasters' office for the inevitable chat about his performance, while Quinlys led the other weyrlings in an aerial drill. No-one's likely to know exactly what Meara and N'ky spoke about, but someone may have noticed Isath flying up and out of the Weyr with two passengers on her back, trailed by Cailluneth. Anyone with eyes on the bowl later that night will have seen a triumphant-looking teenager slipping down from his green's back after winging in over the bowl's rim. Their first flight was out of sight, out of the Weyr, but it definitely happened - and it's been hard to keep them on the ground since. N'ky's new favourite haunt, even more secluded than the far end of the lake, is the Star Stones.

N'ky still hasn't tested out of his remedial history and maths classes, and another new development at the end of month five is private Harper lessons. When he's not there, he seems to have a renewed passion for studying other things... especially any journals on leadership, wings and so on that he can get his paws on.

Weyrling Month 6

The beginning of month six didn't start overly well for N'ky, who found himself overwhelmed and unable to properly balance the pressure of his wing duties, weyrling lectures, private Harper classes (he still hasn't tested out of remedial Maths, though he's doing better with History), lessons with Madilla, and extra studying to be prepared for the wingleader knot that, according to rumour, he's turned down once... though given the mess he's been for near enough the past two months, he would have been in next to no state to lead anyone.

With no prior warning, Day 15 saw him stop attending Flurry's drills in order to train with Cirrus, under their wingleader for the month, Aisha. It's a temporary arrangement but it seems to be working for him, if not for anyone else.

N'ky was amongst the last of the weyrlings to go hunting for a new weyr, missing out on the organised trips due to his extra work. On Day 17, he persuaded D'kan to go weyrhunting with him, claiming a small, shadowy, draughty location as high up the weyr as possible. By Day 18, he'd moved in.

The rest of the month was smooth as silk for him - moving to Cirrus and shadowing the wing's greenrider leaders, Aisha and J'madri, certainly had a positive impact on N'ky; the change seemed to be exactly what he needed to get back on track - there have even been rumours of him hooking up with one of Cirrus's blueriders, April, and the two of them being frequently spotted together at mealtimes is doing nothing to dispel them.

By the end of the month, he'd even made up with K'zin... just in time for him to be handed a wingleader knot, to take charge of Flurry in Month 7.

Weyrling Month 7

All the brushing up on leadership prior to being handed Flurry's Wingleader knot seemed to pay off for N'ky. Being matched up with Alida was definitely an advantage too, as they made quite the pair. N'ky surprised himself if no-one else with his competence and confidence in leading the wing, and was dedicated to encouraging everyone to achieve their best, especially in the relay races.

The final leg of the race against Cirrus had N'ky racing against April - someone who he's becoming somewhat of an item with. Cirrus already had a bit of a lead on Flurry by the time the handover to N'ky and Cailluneth to take the race home happened, but N'ky's fumbled catch whipped away whatever chance they would have had of catching up to win. Did he miss the catch on purpose, to let his sorta-girlfriend win? Did he just give up, knowing that Cailluneth wouldn't be able to catch April's faster Darcielth? N'ky knows what happened for sure, but he's staying tight-lipped.

He was also been seen more frequently with J'madri. There might be a touch more to whatever their friendship is, if the occasional lingering glance and unnecessary (but appropriate!) touching is any indicator to those prone to picking up on such signs. Given his preference for two of its wingmembers, what little spare time he had in month seven was spent with Cirrus' riders.

Weyrling Month 8

Outside of wing duties and when not in the extra classes he was still taking (by this point, N'ky had finally tested out of History, but remedial maths was ongoing and he was still attending speech therapy, too), N'ky spent nearly all of his time with Cirrus riders, especially April and J'madri.

He knew the month's wingleader, Sh'mel, from his time spent with the other wing, and, perhaps because K'zin was month 8's wingsecond, N'ky wasn't shy about backing the transferred-in leader up or offering advice when needed.

Weyrling Month 9

Learning to go between meant freedom, and N'ky finally found himself with all of Pern at his feet... but he hasn't strayed any further than necessary for classes and the tasks assigned to him.

N'ky's Relationships

Family

Growing up, N'ky spent a lot of his time with his two younger siblings. They were always a tight little trio as the youngest of their parents' brood, and, despite the fall-out with the rest of his family, N'ky remains close to them. He doesn't share a similar relationship with his older brothers and sister; they highly disapprove of him going to the Weyr, and even more so of his Impression.

The rest of N'ky's family have renounced him, following his Impression. They weren't keen on him going to the Weyr in the first place; but going to the Weyr and Impressing was too much for the anti-dragonrider family.

Friends

Acquaintances

Random Stuff

Soundtrack

Dyscalculia

N'ky has trouble with numbers, maths, dates and so on, which especially came to prominence during his weyrling months when he struggled with remedial maths and history classes. See this for a full explanation, though the following symptoms (as per the link) are applicable to him:

Most applicable

Frequent difficulties with arithmetic

Difficulty with multiplication-tables, and subtraction-tables, addition tables, division tables, mental arithmetic, etc

Difficulty reading musical notation

Often unable to grasp and remember mathematical concepts, rules, formulae, and sequences

Might do exceptionally well in a writing-related field -- authors and journalists are more likely than average to have the disorder

To a degree

Having particular difficulty mentally estimating the measurement of an object or distance (e.g., whether something is 10 or 20 feet (3 or 6 meters) away)

Inability to concentrate on mentally intensive tasks

Low latent inhibition, i.e. over-sensitivity to noise, smell, light and the inability to tune out, filtering unwanted information or impressions. Might have a well-developed sense of imagination due to this (possibly as cognitive compensation to mathematical-numeric deficits)

To a lesser degree

Difficulty with conceptualizing time and judging the passing of time. May be chronically late or early (he'll nearly always be early).

D&D Character

As per this:

Lawful Good Human Paladin

Alignment: Lawful Good- A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. He combines a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. He tells the truth, keeps his word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished. Lawful good is the best alignment you can be because it combines honor and compassion. However, lawful good can be a dangerous alignment when it restricts freedom and criminalizes self-interest.

Race: Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class: Paladins- Paladins take their adventures seriously, and even a mundane mission is, in the heart of the paladin, a personal test an opportunity to demonstrate bravery, to learn tactics, and to find ways to do good. Divine power protects these warriors of virtue, warding off harm, protecting from disease, healing, and guarding against fear. The paladin can also direct this power to help others, healing wounds or curing diseases, and also use it to destroy evil. Experienced paladins can smite evil foes and turn away undead. A paladin's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that they can cast. Many of the paladin's special abilities also benefit from a high Charisma score.

Recent RP Logs and Vignettes

The full list is available here.

Click here for logs N'ky is mentioned in.

Click here for N'ky's pre-Impression logs.

Click here for logs N'ky was mentioned in, pre-Impression.

5 of 139 logs

2013.08.09: Retirement Plans
Who: Meara, N'ky
When: Day 22, Month 6, Turn 32 (Interval 10)
What: Meara and N'ky have a brief conversation the day after Meara's retirement.
Where: Lake Shore, High Reaches Weyr

2013.08.05: Not My Problem
Who: Alida, N'ky
When: Day 10, Month 6, Turn 32 (Interval 10)
What: April's angry. Alida finds out why.
Where: Snowasis

2013.08.02: Booze, Boobs, and Something a Bit Darker
Who: Jo, N'ky
When: Day 1, Month 6, Turn 32 (Interval 10)
What: A chance meeting in an unlikely location leads to some interesting conversation.
Where: Beachside Bar, Ista Isle

2013.08.02: Apologies
Who: B'rant, N'ky
When: Day 1, Month 6, Turn 32 (Interval 10)
What: N'ky tracks down B'rant at last to apologise for what happened during Cailluneth's flight.
Where: Living Cavern, Fort Weyr

2013.08.01: Ovine Island
Who: N'ky, Norrick
When: Day 26, Month 5, Turn 32 (Interval 10)
What: N'ky takes Norrick to see where his - their? - ovine project will take shape.
Where: Ovine Island, Southern Continent

Icons

#1f4770